The Whalsay Tunnel Project

[Holm O Sanik]

A tunnel will take sooooo long to come to Whalsay, the shorter routes of unst, yell and bressay will be first. So, ferry service needs improving before any tunnel is built.

[Skunnered]

Exactly, why should they?

Because the folk in Shetland are such very nice people!

[tarhellja]

I tocht dat Josie pit his case weel in favour o' da tunnel. Good luck tae him fur da fool (I mean full) cooncil meeting da morn.

[lerwick]

I tocht dat Josie pit his case weel in favour o' da tunnel. Good luck tae him fur da fool (I mean full) cooncil meeting da morn.

I bet he wont put any of the rich pickings he made at the fishing towards a tunnel.

[ll]

When you look at the huge amounts of rock being brought in for the Total project from Norway by ship after ship, you cannot help wonder if rock from digging a tunnel could have been used instead and this would shave millions of pounds of any build costs.

 

It seems too much focus is being made on outright cost and not even being done to reduce the 'real' cost of a tunnel.

[m.stewart]

JA stewart wrote "My dad will probably kill me when he inevitably reads this, being that he is from Whalsay"

 

Its good to see you forming opinions without bias but the downside is the likelyhood of the 'Johnnie A Taing S.A.' inheritance portfolio slipping from your grasp due to comments made about the Bonnie Isle.

 

Dad

[Ghostrider]

Do the rest of us really want to have any of the outer isles joined to us permanently?

 

I have relatives that bide in Bressa, I kinda think having a piece of water between me an dem most of the time is maybe no bad thing.

[whalsa]

I tocht dat Josie pit his case weel in favour o' da tunnel. Good luck tae him fur da fool (I mean full) cooncil meeting da morn.

I bet he wont put any of the rich pickings he made at the fishing towards a tunnel.

 

I dont think there was any need for that comment at all. I personally think that Josie has always done his best for Whalsay with very little thanks from much of the population much of the time.

 

His personal finances after a long career at the most dangerous job in Britain should have nothing to do with his job in the council. In fact I think that it is apt that someone who used to be at the fishing is Whalsay's representative given how important it still is to the isle.

 

The prejudice occasionally found within Shetland against 'rich' Whalsay men is disappointing to see and is unjust, we are not all rich and even those who are are on the whole decent people.

[eastsider]

Over the years Josie has tried his best. On occasions he has managed to do good for the Whalsay community. But I'm afraid on this occasion he has failed the community.

 

If Josie had gone with the majority of the community in favour of the North Voe after the 1st South Voe option was rubbished there would be a good chance the community spirit of Whalsay wouldn't of been broken.

 

Lets all hope that we don't have to chance all Shetlands reserves on the gamble of unforeseen cost of building a tunnel to Whalsay.

 

And the comment about Josie spending his own money from his long hard and successful career at the fishing just shows how stupid some people are.

 

The biggest fool is the fool who can't change his mind.

[whalsa]

^^^ Yes I do agree that he should supported the North Voe option long ago as I believe attempting to build a tunnel to Whalsay at this time is as you said a massive financial gamble and does not seem to be what many islanders want anyway. I was merely defending Josie against pointless 'fisherman bashing' and am happy that you agree about the apparent lack of intelligence of such commenters.

 

People also seem to forget that even if the SIC could somehow afford a tunnel, the ferry terminals are all long overdue for being replaced and will last another 5 years at best, while the shortest time I've seen for a tunnel to be built is 8 years. We all just supposed to swim across for the intervening 3 years?

[lerwick]

well it a good job josie worked so hard and made lots of cash as it wont hurt him to pay for unfairly taking councillor wills to the standards commission . As for a tunnel to whalsay its the most hair brained scheme possible. With the state of the economy these people are out of touch with the real world. I would never vote for fishermen bashing but these councillors should be more responsible with our cash . Look after it as they do with their own.

[Muppet]

If Josie had gone with the majority of the community in favour of the North Voe after the 1st South Voe option was rubbished there would be a good chance the community spirit of Whalsay wouldn't of been broken.

 

 

I'm not sure that Josie could have forseen the tunnel being brought back into the equation though. It had been ruled out and when he abstained, it was a straight choice between the North Voe and South Voe.

 

At the time I really think he was stuck between a rock and a hard place and did right thing by not taking sides.

[lerwick]

loretta stewart hope she stands next time josie no chance.

[whalsa]

^^^ Not so sure about that one myself, plenty of people in Whalsay were less than happy with her performance last time. Personally I think Josie has done well and gets penalised for not being able to please everybody all of the time.

 

http://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/2010/05/27/whalsay-tunnel-would-be-free-for-users-but-council-would-lose-out-on-subsidy

 

^^ This report seems to me to be the final nail in the coffin for the Whalsay tunnel, or at least should be!

 

"The final choice between ferries and a tunnel is due to be made on 30th June at a special Full Council meeting but councillors’ track record suggests that the issue will not be resolved even then, leaving Whalsay to stew longer in resentment and uncertainty."

 

I think everyone in Whalsay really wishes the Council would just stop dithering and make a bloody decision!

[PJ of Hildisvik]

I cannot understand why a cheaper tunnel to Bressay is not built, since there is a shortage of suitable areas for new housing around Lerwick(most people seem to want to live in Lerwick), opening up the west side of Bressay for "attractive" housing schemes would seem to me to be the most logical solution.

 

If you are going to spend 75/100 millon?, then surely Yell Sound/Bluemull would be the only option, thus connecting 3 islands.

Simples!